US - Global Policy Exchange
Regional Policy For a Sustainable Future
Recent discussions of urban sustainability, livability, and post-carbon public policy in the United States have often focused on what isn’t working: which high-speed trains can’t be built, which housing projects languish for years, which hospitals are straining under the weight of a fractured system.Japan, the location of our upcoming Forum, faces many of the same challenges as other advanced countries: climate change uncertainty, uneven economic development, and civic under-participation. However, there is a high expectation of the public sector that results in tangible benefits for all citizens, residents and visitors.
Meaningful Exchange
The Program
Through the Japan Future Policy Forum, state and local policymakers, researchers, and NGO professionals will be able to meet their Japanese counterparts and discuss shared challenges and opportunities.
Our First Location
Explore Japan
Come enjoy connected regional transit that is safe, affordable and frequent. Meet with business owners from tech, retail, real estate and manufacturing to understand how they interact with future policy development. Visit housing developments across scales and budgets and learn more about the ZEH-M federal subsidy program for carbon-zero apartments.Experience public-school lunch that is nutritionally balanced and available free to all children. Join experts and local, state and federal officials with whom you can freely discuss and ask each other questions about actual both aspirational intentions and implementation on the ground.
share your expertise
Connect with Experts
This trip focuses on in-depth conversations with peers about on-the-ground implementation challenges, unexpected wins, and pathways to effective community engagement. As much as possible, we will facilitate convivial meals among colleagues across sectors to enhance the trip and encourage candid conversation. Full-time translators will be on hand.
Creating something better
Our Philosophy
We are guided by a growth mindset and a dedication to experiential learning. We know that the United States holds tremendous innovation and can only grow through exposure to alternative forms of local and regional policy.We are fascinated by global successes in the following policy areas:
Healthcare
Transportation
Housing
School Lunch
Climate Change Resiliency
get involved
Join the Forum
We are seeking advisors, participants, and funders for the administration of this program and to ensure a diverse group of participants.
want to join the forum
What You'll Receive
◦ Full English briefing book on each location and speaker
◦ Re-loadable transport and shopping e-money card
◦ Portable WiFi terminals
◦ Etiquette guide
◦ Multiple staff translators
◦ All meals and snacks during tours
◦ A final celebration meal with local partners and hosts
A Global program
beyond japan
Potential Forums Located In
• Mexico
• China
• Vietnam
• The Philippines
• Puerto Rico
• India
• Taiwan
About us
We are a nonpartisan, research and education organization based in Berkeley, California.We enjoy a close relationship with the University of California, Berkeley and invite local policymakers, researchers and NGO professionals from across the United States to join our learning tours.
Meet Our Team
Executive Director
Nina Ichikawa
Nina F. Ichikawa is the former Executive Director of the Berkeley Food Institute, an interdisciplinary research and action center at the University of California at Berkeley.She served on the Obama administration’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative and founded AAPIFoodAction.org, the nation’s first Farm Bill policy platform for Asian American and Pacific Islander voters.Selected by the Japanese Ministry of Education for the Mombusho Graduate Fellowship, Nina received an M.A. from Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo and a B.A. from UC Berkeley.
Program manager
James Shoptaugh
James Shoptaugh is a second year Master of Public Policy student at the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. During the Spring 2026 semester, he worked with the Governor of California's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation on a research project exploring the impacts of AI and the future of land use planning.James has a background in social work, having spent his early career as a case worker specializing in housing and disability benefits. His experience also encompasses political campaigning and local government, including at the New York State Assembly.James graduated summa cum laude from Iona University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science.
Supercharge Progress
Keep in touch with the forum
Reinvigorate the American policy landscape by being part of policymaker and research exchanges between the US and countries around the globe.
